Home…Three Bags and a Backpack

Now is the time! I’m finally on my way by the end of August. I’ve given notice at my mobile home park and divested myself of nearly everything (excluding my car and RV, which are currently for sale). Except for what will fit in three bags and a backpack. The little grouping below will be my home.

It’s hard to believe as I look at the picture above that these meager vessels and their contents will be everything I own in less than a month. Like a turtle, I’ll carry my home on my back (well, figuratively at least). This evening I’m conducting a trial run on the scheme – packing away all my possessions except the clothes and things necessary for survival over the next few weeks. 

It’s a busy time. I’ve got to sell both vehicle and home, finish up my final little chores like getting a post office box, closing accounts and selling a few pieces of jewelry that I’ll never wear again.

If I’m honest, and I always strive to be, I’m a little scared now that the event is literally weeks away. But I think that’s natural and the excitement of the upcoming adventure far outweighs the trepidation.

I’ve more to write before I go. So stay tuned.

Leaving Family and Friends Behind

One of the first questions I was asked when I began telling people my plan to retire overseas was “Won’t it be hard to leave your family and friends behind?” I had already thought this through and was able to answer no.

Here’s why. My mother I see about once a month. My sisters who live locally I manage to visit with about six times a year. My sister who lives in Montana I rarely get to see. I have two grown children; a son in the Los Angeles area and a daughter in Phoenix. If I’m lucky I get to see each of them for a couple of days twice a year or so. My dearest friends I can usually get together with for coffee or a meal every couple of months.  This isn’t much time to spend with those you care about. 

Logically, by visiting the States for a month or more every year, I’ll be able to see everyone for the approximate same amount or more of time I currently spend with them, except my friends. My daughter plans on visiting me wherever I am once a year as well, so for her I will actually see her for far longer (and in more exciting circumstances) than I currently do. I’m trying to work on my friends a bit to see if I can’t get them to join me on my adventures as well. Having a girlfriend to see Machu Picchu with would be wonderful. We’ll see if I can manage it. 

My children, especially, I plan on using Skype to communicate with regularly and therefore will “see” them much more frequently since currently only my daughter and I use Skype, and only then on special occasions. 

Communicating will be better, I believe, when I’m sending out pictures and emails regularly. The only one who I have special needs with is my mother, who doesn’t have the Internet. I’ve already given my sister a stack of pre-addressed and stamped envelopes so she can just print out an email from me for my mom and mail it to her. 

And the most interesting thing I’ve run into is the information that WiFi is apparently everywhere in the developing countries; far more available than in the States. I’m counting on that!

BTW - the picture above is available on Etsy

What Kind of Ex-Pat Will You Be?

One of the big decisions you’ll find yourself considering is whether or not you’ll expatriate to another country on the first go-around or whether you’ll travel as an ex-pat, until you choose to settle down in one place…or not.

When I began planning to leave the country, it was motivated by a desire to live better with the funds I had. As I began to explore all the possibilities, I soon realized that 1) I couldn’t possibly make a decision to move anywhere outside the country without first visiting for a long period and 2) I didn’t have to. 

I’ve always had a longing to travel worldwide, but prior to this I had always thought in terms of tourism. Now I know I don’t have to be a visitor, but rather a resident in each country until I’ve satisfied myself that I understand the nature and culture of that place. I have no desire to skim the surface and see only the lovely spots in a destination but instead I want to KNOW the place – as much as is possible without having been there all my life. 

If this is the life-style you choose, wandering until sated, then you’re preparations are completely different than if you’d rather find a place and move yourself and your possessions for a more permanent situation. I’m not saying you have to have decided to live somewhere forever, but instead of living out of three suitcases (as I will be) you’ll be setting up a household wherever you land. 

There are some preparations that are the same either way, like making sure your banking can be done internationally, while others will be entirely diverse, such as the purchase of luggage and clothing. 

So, first, if you haven’t already, decide which way you’re going to land, on firmly planted feet or winged boots.

Researching a Life Overseas

As I’ve mentioned before, it was a conversation with a Filipino native that clued me into the possibility of retiring overseas. That got the ball rolling, but what happened next can be compared to an avalanche. I tapped into Google and found myself buried in a mountain of information. 

First I began researching the Philippines; economy, politics, cost of living, housing, etc. I checked out blogs, then library books. But when I hit upon InternationalLiving.com that's when the possibilities really began to overwhelm me. Their free “postcards” (daily emails describing life in other countries) suddenly exposed other countries which are very affordable and “doable” for me, and legions of others. I had no idea there is a huge “expat” community out there, others who have chosen to live outside the United States for various reasons. In fact, I did not realize until reading International Living – the magazine itself – what exactly expatriate means. 

An expat is anyone who lives outside their country of origin. I had the mistaken notion, as apparently many do, that the term referred to a bad attitude about the United States, and shrunk from the idea. Not true at all. Brits, Canadians and Australians comprise a large number of the expatriates out there in the world, and indeed the citizens of many nations. To become an expat is not to become “anti” anything. This is probably the most important thing I learned in my research. 

After exhaustive research on many different host countries, I’ve narrowed my own nations of interest down to the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Nicaragua, Portugal and the Czech Republic (Prague specifically). That’s the list for now. Who knows what else will pop up on my radar over the next couple of years? I expect I will meet other expats who will enlighten and excite me about other “must see” destinations. 

One of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever read is Gringos in Paradise, by Barry Golson – the story of an American couple that builds their dream home in an ocean-side village in Mexico. Although this isn’t remotely what I want to do, I loved the journey these two had into another culture. 

Two must-read books on the subject are: The International Living Guide to Retiring Overseas on a Budget by Susan Haskins and Dan Prescher and How to Retire Overseas by Kathleen Peddicord. Both books gave me tons of useful information and a real flavor for what I’m about to do.

One more book that gave me much to think about was originally written in the 70s and republished in 2001. It covers some of the aspects of living overseas that helped me assess my own comfort zone and look at other cultures with a new eye. It is Survival Kit for Overseas Living : for Americans planning to live and work abroad by L. Robert Kohls. One note of caution: many of the things you read will be exceptionally positive and Kohls book helps to offset that with a bit of a hardcore reality check.

I hope these suggestions will assist you in determining whether living overseas is a real possibility for you. Please let me know if you have any questions. I’ll try to answer them, but remember I’m not actually there yet!

Let’s Talk Retirement

So, would I be on this path of world travel and seeking a permanent overseas home if I were not of retirement age? Definitely not. 

 

It’s not that I wouldn’t have the desire for the adventure of it all. I’ve always had that. It’s that I wouldn’t have the income I need to sustain myself, without working, if I wasn’t eligible for Social Security.  Besides the fact that in most of the countries in which I’m going to be traveling and considering residency, working in country is not allowed as a “pensionado”, I do not want to work any longer, at least not as an employee. 

While relying on Social Security is not a good retirement plan in the U.S., it is more than enough to get by on in many, many places around the world. According to some of the sites I’ve visited about retiring overseas, one of the most common misconceptions is that you cannot collect your Social Security outside of the United States. This is completely false. In fact, my Social Security intake agent was very excited for me when I told her what I was going to be doing. 

While many people have planned responsibly for their retirement, putting away appropriate sums of money over the years, there are those of us who did not and there are those of us that did but the recession, or medical bills, or family situations struck down all their plans.  I was personally staring at a glum future of working until I dropped and already feeling the strain on my body at a fairly young age of 63. 

I was so happy when a lucky conversation with a shuttle passenger opened my eyes to the fact that my Social Security actually WAS enough, just not in the United States. Once I realized there was a whole range of countries that are affordable, safe, with good health care and welcoming arms for expatriates from all over the world, I felt both relief and excitement. How wonderful is it that in my fall and winter years, I have options! And they include globe-trotting, a life-long fantasy that is about to come true. 

If any of this makes sense to you, I will be presenting information and resources in my next post for you to explore.  In the meantime, you may want to simply Google “retirement overseas” and follow your heart.